4.28.2011

now it is time to get some things done with all of this time on my hands.

i have tried to set a few goals for myself to make the days go by quicker.

so far, they have done the trick extremely well.

i feel really lame admitting this, but we have been in our house for over

2 weeks and i still haven't put everything away from the move.

our house is a disaster.

and of course, the dishwasher just had to break right in the middle of it

all, so that definitely doesn't help my cause.

so my first goal is to get this room:

and this room:

in proper living condition. {don't judge}
right now i feel like i live in a pig sty!
not only do i want to clean them, but i also want to paint/decorate them too.
i'm thinking of a black, gray, and yellow color scheme for our bedroom.
any ideas on how to do it?

goal number 2: read my scriptures everyday.

zachary and i would read scriptures every night right before bed.

he was always been the one that would remember to do it and has taught me

so much in our relationship about gospel things.

he definitely can bring the Spirit into our home faster than

you can say "the church is true".

well, now that he's not here, it's time to put on my big girls pants and

take it upon myself to keep the Spirit in our home while he is away.

i love the scriptures and i love the comfort that i can receive from them.

goal numero tres: visit my brother and sister-in-law.

for a few months now, i've known that they were moving to texas.

they sold pest control in houston last year and that was their plan this year as well.

i've been planning on making the 7 hour trip to see them and have been

quite excited about it actually.

then i found out last week that instead of pest control, he will be selling

security systems and not only will they be moving to texas, but they will

be moving to austin, tx which is only 3 and 1/2 hours from me!!

i was ecstatic when i found out!

i definitely miss my family a lot while being out here, so having them close for

hopefully, this means that i will be one of few so i can get a lot of hours in and be

able to earn some extra cash for me and my honey. {while of course soaking up some extra rays!}

goal #5: lose 5 lbs.
i have been trying really hard to be sure to workout everyday.
the last three days have been awesome!
i get out of bed feeling pumped and ready to go.
as soon as i hit the gym, i feel a burst of energy and can get a
really good workout in.
i know myself though, and i know that this doesn't last long usually.
do you have any tricks to keep yourself motivated?

along with this, everything i have read has told me that it's not
just the working out alone that will shed the pounds.
it is also making sure that you burn more calories than you consume.
well, i want to introduce you to "my fitness pal":

zachary and i have been using this for about a month and we love it!
i've lost 4 or 5 pounds using it already!
it takes into account your gender, your current weight, how much
you want to lose per week, your activity level, etc. and it tells
you how many net calories you should be consuming per day.

it has over 700,00 foods in its database.
i haven't ever had a problem finding a food that i've eaten.
and it gives you all of the nutrition facts for it as well.

it also keeps an organized running total of how many calories you

have consumed for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as snacks.

﻿

it's hard at first to remember to keep up on it, but it becomes a lot

easier after a while because it remembers the foods that you have already

eaten, so entering in the information takes two seconds.

the nice thing for those of you with smart phones, is it is a free app,

so it can be with you wherever you go!

those of you that don't have a smart phone can just log onto to

myfitnesspal.com and it works basically the same.

some people think that counting calories is for weirdos and people that

are obsessed with their bodies.

don't worry, i used to think like that too.

but now i've realized that it's not just about wanting to lose weight, it's

about just plain being healthy!

and last, but not least...goal #6: plant our flower garden.

or better yet, plant a yard.

our yard, was basically dead when we moved in.

i wish i had some before and after pics for you.

after having the sprinklers on it everyday now, we have made

some serious progress, but it still needs a lot of work.

my only problem is, i know nothing about gardening or lawn care.

i want to spread some extra grass seed, get the flowers planted, and

maybe do some extra landscaping around our trees to add personality.

i wanted to plant a vegetable garden, but i think it's too hot for that now.

i have no idea what i am doing, so hopefully everything lives!

my plan is to finish all of these things before the big man comes home.

i may have bitten off more than i can chew, but at least it keeps me busy.

4.26.2011

i've heard some crazy stories of how military wives can react to their husbands leaving. they lay in bed all morning, crying at any thought of him. after pulling themselves together, they stumble across some sentimental keepsake that was given to them right after their wedding, that on normal days wouldn't even be given a second thought about, but today, it sends them into another episode of tears and tissues because it was a gift from him. they end up locking themselves in their house all day long, wanting nothing to do with the ouside world, while eating junk food and watching chick flicks that end up making them cry even harder. after all of their tears are dried up, it's finally time to go to sleep. they lock the doors, turn out the lights, and crawl into bed, only to be saddened by the fact that he isn't there to cuddle the night away with. which then...ends in more tears.

did i act like this after zachary left yesterday? of course not. did i act like a milder, slightly more controlled version of this? maybe.

all i know is there was a lot of candy eaten:

a lot of time spent wearing zachary's clothes:

loads of snuggling with this guy: {which happens to be sprayed with zachary's cologne.}

﻿

and many tears shed. but let's be honest people...as much as i really do miss my husband and i never thought that it would be this hard to be without him {i'm lame, i know} i think the real reason for all of this drama was my subconscious trying to cope with this haircut:

somewhere between the tears and the junk food, my funny little brain thought it would be cool to go all out and change up my hair by getting front bangs and cutting it a little shorter. for some reason, i thought it would make zachary being gone a little easier. no worries, it didn't. instead i am left still husbandless and looking like a boy.

4.24.2011

this has been one of the best easters yet!
partly because it is my first one spent with my husband!
we went shopping on friday and got stuff for each other's easter baskets.
we may have gone a little overboard, but that just means that we love each other. right?

zachary was really sweet with his.
i've been wanting things to decorate our house with, so he got me a cute
little black sign that says "laugh". i love it.
everyday, i struggle with the fact that my purse is falling apart, but i feel like
my wallet is too big to want to carry around by itself.
so he got me a new purse with a wallet built in.
it was so thoughtful!
he gave me a bunch of candies as well along with a 12 pack of fanta zero {yum!} and
some other items that i don't feel are appropriate to talk about on this blog. ;)
he was very kind in picking out my stuff.
i feel like he knows me oh so well!
i got him a stone pizza cutter that he has been wanting for a while,
along with some slippers {his feet are always cold}, a new shirt that he is going to
look smokin' in, the movie baby mama {so freaking funny!} and a bunch of his favorite candies.
i felt like we were five for how excited we were about seeing our baskets.

i was given another easter surprise yesterday when i got a call from someone
asking me to teach relief society in church today.
yes, i have only been to this ward once.
i was terrified!
i barely even know anybody there.
it sure doesn't help when i am the youngest person in the room either.
i felt like i was surrounded by spiritual giants!
when all was said and done, i felt like it went alright.
at least i used up enough time!
my lesson was on this talk.
it's amazing.
you should most definitely read it.

zachary did an amazing job at preparing the best easter dinner in the world!

{don't mind our sorry excuse for a kitchen table...we are working on that}﻿

it consisted of the most incredible roast, rolls, and veggies.
did i mention that i love it when he cooks? because i do.

we then got a little creative and attempted to make these little beauties:

i've posted a step by step tutorial on how to make them on this blog.
we spent the rest of our night just loving being together.
oh, i did cut zachary's hair!

i felt like it didn't turn out half bad either!
we spent a lot of time watching lost and eating ranch popcorn while snuggling,
trying not to think about the dreadful day that is tomorrow.

in all of this, i loved being able to take a moment and realize why we have easter.
what the whole meaning of easter is.
it is to remember the resurrection of our Savior and Redeemer.
the man that suffered for our sins.
that died for us.
that rose again after three days.
i am grateful for Jesus Christ and that He made it possible for us to live
with our Father in Heaven again.
may we all share our gratitude this day.

4.20.2011

lately, i have noticed a few things that are ever present in our lives.
4 to be specific.
a couple of them are harmless, a couple of them i'm not so sure about.
the first one being: paper towels.
i know this sounds stupid, but really, we both can't stop using them.
case in point...we bought this 8 roll pack last monday:

we used 5 rolls in eight days!!
i don't know what our problem is, but it's like we get in the kitchen and
we can't stop using them!
i feel like after it's been used once, it's contaminated.
plus i hate trying to dry my hands on a towel that is already wet.

obsession #2: diet sodas.
fanta zero of the orange variety to be exact.

i never grew up with diet soda.
it was always you eat the crappy stuff or you don't.
no in between.
zachary and i have been trying really hard lately to be healthy though.
a regular 12 oz. can of fanta orange has 160 calories in it.
160 calories...big whoop right?
well, i can eat an entire breakfast for about that much that isn't jam
packed with sugar and actually fills me up.
this discovery of diet soda has proved to be a profitable one.
and i almost can't even taste the fake sugar anymore!

number three: lost

i know, i know, we are way behind in the world.
while we are just beginning this crazy rollercoaster and sometimes even
losing sleep over it, everyone else in the world has ridden the ride,
gotten off and hated it from what i've heard, and some have even
watched it for a second or third time!
we saw it in the laughlin library though and couldn't pass it up.
so far i am appalled at all of the gore, but the storyline is so
captivating that after each episode, i am left wanting more.
just so you know, claire had her baby and boone just died.
i hope shannon realizes what she had, that little hoe.

#4 addiction: ranch popcorn.
this is where the more harmful obsession that i was talking about comes in.
i just mentioned that zachary and i are trying to be healthier.
well this little snack right here, throws that goal right out the window!
i had this stuff for the first time when i was probably 15 or 16 thanks to this girl.
i was obsessed with it then too and then i just kind of forgot about it.
well the other day, i was grocery shopping and saw the stuff for it
and thought i'd try it out again.
zachary refused it at first, but after one bite, we are now both hooked.
in fact today {as we were watching lost} we ate an entire bowl.
that may not sound that bad because it's not.
the bad part is, that we made another batch and ate all of that too!
you have to try it at least once before you say you don't like it.
all you need is this:

4.03.2011

you are sitting with your husband watching t.v. and you get an overwhelmingly
intense craving for a candy bar. {this seems to happen to me quite often}
so you go to the front desk of the hotel that you have been staying in
for eight freaking days now {boo!} and check out your options.

*payday, reeses, kit-kat, snickers, zero bar, twix, almond joy, etc.*

there are so many kinds, which one do you pick?
uh, hello...pick the zero bar!
despite the fact that they have been around for almost 100 years,

i just had one of these babies for the first time in my life.

let me tell you...it was like heaven in my mouth!

i don't think there is anything better than a

caramel/almond/peanut nougat covered in white fudge.

go ahead.

try one.

it's calling your name.

you know you want to.

and just a piece of advice: it is delightfully scrumptious when frozen.